Glory of Heracles IV is an interesting blend of Greek mythology, Pandora’s Box, and the quest for eternal life. Although Heracles is in the title and the game, he is not the principle character. The game is actually the story about some other characters, with Heracles as a secondary intertwined quest. The game resembles Dragon Quest on the surface, but goes much deeper in gameplay and story. There is also a seed planting system, blacksmith system, diary, myth guide, and bestiary.

The most notable gameplay feature is the body system. You can acquire and inhabit 100 different bodies throughout the game. This allows the player to choose an avatar for an otherwise mute hero. Each body has its own backstory, set of levels, strengths and weaknesses, and unique skills for battle. In some instances you may even act out new scenes by becoming a resident of town and experiencing their circumstances from their perspective. Think of the bodies as playable NPCs.

The main plot follows the player, his friend Plato, and Epipha from the mythical city of Atlantis. Their fine professor has been researching possibilities of ever lasting life. Soon after the game begins, an event happens that transcends life as they know it. You will encounter life, death, Pandora’s Box, Heracles, and even the gods themselves! You must unravel the mystery of what happened. You must help Heracles in his quest too. You will travel by boat, saba, submarine, and even on the legendary Pegasus! You will journey to the underworld, under the sea, and even to the heavens above! It is a good tale to be had for the 16-bit era! The Glory of Heracles awaits you!

Nightcrawler’s Translation Corporation has released this 100% complete English translation. The script translation was done by nanashi whom also did the translation for Glory of Heracles III.

The hacking work for this translation employs VWF (aka proportional font) throughout all dialog and menus. Over 200 menus underwent 8×8 VWF conversions pushing the boundaries of what was possible to do with the game. The result is full uncompromised dialog, and sliding menus looking like those from future generation consoles.

The archive includes several patching options. There are both IPS and xdelta traditional patches, as well as a custom patching option for novices. The custom patcher will ensure the right ROM is used and intelligently apply the patch to headered or unheadered ROMs.

Additional Resources:

• Nightcrawler’s Translation Corporation Project Page
• Glory of Heracles IV Image Gallery
• Additional project and game information

• No-Intro Name: Heracles no Eikou IV - Kamigami kara no Okurimono (Japan) (No-Intro version 20130701-030720)
• ROM CRC32: 920A738E
• ROM SHA-1: 4E14015C23B130DCEB8F887AA0F92A7C86F58068